A rookie mistake!!!
July 21, 2009
Today I would be leaving the hot Honolulu sun and heading off to the cool Canadian Rocky Mountains. I was looking forward to a little break from the heat and humidity but at the same time, I was hoping it wouldn't be too chilly. The Banff meetup organizers, Roselle (row-zzzzz) and Dan (dancr), were preparing me for the worst. I packed up a few items that would keep me protected from the cold. I could always pick up something warmer in Banff if I had to. I have a lot of frequent flier miles and I decided to use some to upgrade to first class on the way to Canada. That way I would be nice and rested when I arrived. I tend to do that a lot with my miles - buy a regular ticket and upgrade to first class.
My flight was due to leave Honolulu at 8:20pm and arrive in Calgary, Canada at 11:00am the next day after a quick plane change in Denver. The sucky thing about leaving at 8pm is driving through the city during rush hour in order to reach the airport. Honolulu's traffic can get bad - one of the disadvantages of living on an island is the limited number of alternate routes. I decided to leave a little early, take my time and have some dinner at the airport. I left my home at 5:15 and hoped I'd be at the airport by 6:15. Traffic was very light. Hooray!! I'd probably be there by 6:00. Suddenly, a horrible feeling shot through me. I realized I HAD FORGOTTEN MY PASSPORT!!!! What a rookie mistake!!!! I was on the freeway, half way to the airport. I made a quick exit and turned back around. Traffic was a little heavier but wasn't too bad. I made it back to my house and ran inside to grab my passport. I looked in its usual place but it wasn't there. Oh no!! Then the panic begins to settle in. I searched a few more places without success. I decided to stop for a minute, gather my thoughts and calm down. I went back to my original starting point and looked again. Like magic, there it was. What a relief!!! I gave my bewildered pets another goodbye kiss and left for the airport.
Not much traffic again, so I made great time out to the airport. I arrived a little bit before 7pm. As usual there was a long check-in line at United but since I was flying first class I didn't have to wait in that line. I could go to the special line. Lucky me. I still had time to grab a bite to eat before going to the departure gate. Soon I would be sitting in my big comfy first class seat on the way to my first travbuddy meetup in Banff.
My flight was due to leave Honolulu at 8:20pm and arrive in Calgary, Canada at 11:00am the next day after a quick plane change in Denver. The sucky thing about leaving at 8pm is driving through the city during rush hour in order to reach the airport. Honolulu's traffic can get bad - one of the disadvantages of living on an island is the limited number of alternate routes. I decided to leave a little early, take my time and have some dinner at the airport. I left my home at 5:15 and hoped I'd be at the airport by 6:15. Traffic was very light. Hooray!! I'd probably be there by 6:00. Suddenly, a horrible feeling shot through me. I realized I HAD FORGOTTEN MY PASSPORT!!!! What a rookie mistake!!!! I was on the freeway, half way to the airport. I made a quick exit and turned back around. Traffic was a little heavier but wasn't too bad. I made it back to my house and ran inside to grab my passport. I looked in its usual place but it wasn't there. Oh no!! Then the panic begins to settle in. I searched a few more places without success. I decided to stop for a minute, gather my thoughts and calm down. I went back to my original starting point and looked again. Like magic, there it was. What a relief!!! I gave my bewildered pets another goodbye kiss and left for the airport.
Not much traffic again, so I made great time out to the airport. I arrived a little bit before 7pm. As usual there was a long check-in line at United but since I was flying first class I didn't have to wait in that line. I could go to the special line. Lucky me. I still had time to grab a bite to eat before going to the departure gate. Soon I would be sitting in my big comfy first class seat on the way to my first travbuddy meetup in Banff.
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